Bringing learning to life

Frank the Bookasaurus was cooking teacher Kai Mohell's creation and named by the Circular Head Christian School pupils.

Library technician Kristy Mohell said the teachers hoped Frank the Bookasaurus would add depth to the pupil's learning experience.

"We wanted to stimulate the learning of the junior school," Mrs Mohell said.

"It's more so a talking point when they walk in the library.

"It's stimulated the interest in dinosaurs and other animals."

The size of the dinosaur in itself got the children talking.

Mrs Mohell said they were amazed to find out the dinosaur was probably life-size to a baby dinosaur.

"When [Mr Mohell] was designing it he had no idea it was going to be this big," Mrs Mohell said.

Frank the Bookasaurus was made entirely out of up-cycled materials.

Mr Mohell picked up old wooden pallets from a building site.

"We have a lot of dinosaur books in the library and we have a lot of boys from prep to grade 3 who are interested, and Kai thought it would pique their interest to see a life-size baby dinosaur," Mrs Mohell said.

Mr Mohell's next holiday project will be to make a smaller version of Frank the Bookasaurus to add to the family of dinosaurs living in the school's library.

"Being a library technician, I love bringing out the physical things they can see other than just reading a book," Mrs Mohell said.

"I think it's visually stimulating for them, they are tying in what they learn in the book and make it real for them.

"It's engaging all the sense of learning, they are hearing it in the story and seeing it," Mrs Mohell said.

The name was chosen through a competition, where more than 150 pupils submitted a name.

Mrs Mohell and Circular Head Christian School principal Patrick Bakes had a hard time choosing names for the dinosaur, so they chose two names.

"There were some funny names, but the principal was amused by Frank," Mrs Mohell said.